Ryan Kinne is in his rookie season with New England Revolution after a stellar career at Monmouth University where he twice received NSCAA First Team All-America honors. Kinne is originally from Naugatuck, Conn. and played youth soccer for South Central Premier. Kinne is part of the new generation of American professional soccer players who grew up watching Major League Soccer.

Soccer Banter: Did you support a MLS team growing up?

Ryan Kinne: I did, I supported the Revolution. They were the most local team. My dad’s always been a Boston fan, so we supported the Revolution.

SB: Who was your favorite MLS player?

RK: When I was younger and I followed the Revs, it was definitely Joe-Max Moore. He was one of the best players for the U.S. National Team and for the Revolution at the time. I actually had the opportunity to meet him one time, and he’s a great guy.

SB: Did you attend any games growing up? Did you attend any MLS games?

RK: A bunch. The first MLS Cup was here, at the old Foxborough Stadium. My family came up to that. It was D.C. United versus L.A Galaxy. We also came to a lot of Revs games.

SB: How was your jump from club soccer to college soccer and from college to the professional level?

RK: I actually had pretty good transitions. My club coach Tim Chase, South Central Premier (Conn.) prepared me very well for the college level. He had the same type of coaching style as my college coach, so that made it easy. Coach (Robert) McCourt held a very professional atmosphere at Monmouth (University), so it definitely prepared me for the Revolution and (Revolution Head Coach) Steve Nicol.

SB: When you committed to Monmouth and playing in the NEC, did you envision one day playing in MLS?

RK: Absolutely, when Coach (McCourt) recruited me, he thought I had the potential to one day play at this level. He pushed me, I pushed myself and here I am now. We both thought it could happen, and eventually it panned out.

SB: When did you first think you could become a professional player?

RK: I’ve wanted to since I was three years old, when I started kicking a soccer ball. But the moment I actually thought I could, I was in my freshman year of college, and one of our assistant coaches, Hugh McDonald thought very highly of me. He played a couple years in MLS with the (New York) Red Bulls. He thought I could play at this level, and that’s when I realized that maybe I really had an opportunity to do it.

SB: Who were the strongest influences on you reaching MLS?

RK: Definitely the two coaches I mentioned before. Tim Chase at South Central, I played for him for six years. He is a great coach. He taught me how to play the game the right way, and have the right mindset. Then, going to play for Rob McCourt, who, in my mind, is the best college coach in the country. (Having) the chance to play for a guy like that…with a winning attitude and who has coached some of the best players in the country… Those two had a huge influence on me being here right now.

SB: What are your goals for the season?

RK: I want to make an impact with the Revolution, and help them get back to the playoffs. (I want to) get on the field, and have a positive impact scoring goals, whatever I can do. If I am playing defense, midfield or attacking, I just want to have a positive influence on our team.

SB: What are your long term goals as a player?

RK: I would like to be in the league for a long time, and I would like to be a consistent player, like a (Former New England Revolution player) Steve Ralston-type player. (He was) very underrated, but he played forever. He got numerous call-ups to the (U.S.) National Team. One of my goals is to be consistent and bring myself to a National Team level.

SB: What is your perception of MLS now as a player as opposed to when you were growing up?

RK: It’s come such a long way since I was younger. The league’s so much better now. There are so many more teams, and it’s really coming along. Hopefully soon, it’ll rival the leagues in Europe. Hopefully the players from Europe will keep coming over here and it will be one of the best leagues in the world.